Port Orchard woman accused of killing husband after alleged murder-for-hire plot



PORT ORCHARD, Wash. -- A 57-year-old woman was ordered held Wednesday in the Kitsap County Jail for first-degree murder in connection with death of her husband, who died last year from an overdose of drug medication.

Heidi Lorraine Smith is also accused of having to tried to hire Department of Corrections inmates to kill her husband before his death.

The woman's 68-year-old husband, Gary Smith, died in March 2014 following a battle with serious health issues, the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office said. However, upon the man's death, his daughter asked authorities to open an investigation due to her suspicion that the victim's wife was involved.

An autopsy confirmed the man died of "multiple acute drug intoxication," and fatal doses of powerful medicines were found in his system.

Heidi Smith denied killing her husband when interviewed by detectives. She also denied giving him extra medications, either purposely or accidentally, before his death.

But Kitsap County detectives uncovered a report made to the Port Orchard Police Department in 2008 that alleged Smith, an employee at the Department of Corrections work/release program, said her husband was "worth more dead than alive," and that she expressed interest in his $1 million life insurance policy.

Inmates at the work/release program told police that the woman said she was a "battered woman" and asked them about getting a gun. They also discussed methods on how to kill someone with medicine overdose, the inmates told detective. However, the inmates allegedly ended conversation when the suspect continued to talk about killing her husband, and began to seriously plan it, sheriff's deputies said.

The detectives recently brought Smith back in for another police interview, where she admitted she made conversations with inmates about killing her husband. She also admitted that she lied about being a battered woman and that she was never mistreated.

When detectives pressed, asking her how much she offered the correctional inmates to kill her husband, she allegedly said she "couldn't remember."

The woman admitted she would "probably going to jail for murder" given the evidence against her, police said.